Combination folding chair, canopy, and sunshade



June 3, 1941. K. SINGEWALD 2,243,984

' COMBINATION FOLDING CHAIR, GANOPY, vAND sUNsHADE Filed April l, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented June 3, 1941 i COMBINATION FOLDING CHAIR, CAN OPY, AND SUNSHADE Karl Singewalc'l, Baltimore, Md.

Application April 1, 1940, Serial No. 327,292

7 Claims.

This invention relates to chairs and more particularly to modified forms thereof adapted for use out of doors so that the occupant may be directly subjected to the forces of nature.

Deck, beach, and lawn chairs so constructed as to be easily folded and readily portable are well known and in popular use today. Such chairs, however, as now known, although enabling the user to sit or recline while enjoying the benefits of the out of doors, do not afford protection from undesirable natural conditions. Thus, although the occupant of a chair made according to present practice may enjoy sunshine, he may be annoyed at the same time by insects such as flies, Inosquitos and the like.

Various devices have been developed for the protection of sun bathers and the like from the action of insects, but these devices as now constructed consist of a net-supporting framework entirely divorced from a chair and adapted to rest on the ground to surround either a person alone or occupying a chair. Such canopies, while effective enough as regards protection, if used with a chair, necessitates the handling and folding of two separate items. Furthermore, if a canopy support of the known type is employed to surround a chair and occupant, it is necessary for the occupant of the chair to get up in order to `effect adjustments or removal of the canopy, which, in the case of an infirm person or an invalid, may be undesirable or even impossible.

It is an object of this invention to overcome all of the foregoing disadvantages while wholly protecting a chair and its occupant from the action of insects or other undesirable natural conditions. It will be especially advantageous to sun bathers in abbreviated attire.

` By the employment of the present invention, it is contemplated that folding chairs may be protected in such a way as to permit folding of the chair and protective covering therefor into a single package of a size and weight approximate to that of an unprotected chair.

According to this invention, the use of a chair independently of a protective covering is permitted, while the covering may be brought into operation by a simple adjustment which can be made by the occupant of the chair without leaving the same.

This invention further contemplates the protection of the eyes of the occupant from sunlight whetheror not the covering is employed, so that a chair of a wide range of uses is provided in lieu of the present partially satisfactory devices.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of the invention showing the folding chair in sitting position with the cover supports in operative position, the cover being indicated in broken lines in the interest of better illustration;

Figure 2 is a view in section taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation showing the chair of Figure 1 and its protective cover l when the chair is adjusted to reclining position;

v Figure 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a portion of a folding chair with the cover support partially retracted, the cover itself being omitted for better illustration; and

Figure 6 is a detail view taken along the line 6 6 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the illustrated preferred form of the invention consists of a folding chair, a support I0 for a protective cover II and a sun-shade assembly I2.

The folding chair consists of a seat frame I3 and a back frame I4. Frame I3 comprises side members l5 and I5 connected by transverse bars I'I, I8, I9 and 20 in the customary manner. Frame I4 is similarly constructed and consists of side members 2| and 22 connected together at one end by a transverse bar 23 somewhat longer than bars I8 and 25J. Members 2I and 22,

i at a point remote from bar 23, are mounted for rotation on bar I9 which is coextensive in length with bar 23. By this arrangement frames I3 and I4 are rendered relatively movable about bar I9V as an axis. Furthermore, the length of side members 2| and 22 between bar I9 and bar 23 is in excess of the length of side members I5 and I6 between their front ends and pivot point I9 so that frame I4 may be folded forward to lie in the same plane as frame I3 when the chair is folded (see arrow in Figure 2.)

In order to support frame I4 in an upright position as shown in Figures 2 and 3, an additional frame 24 is provided, the respective side members of which are pivotally attached by pins 25 to members 2| and 22. Connecting the side members of frame 24 is a bar 26 which is adapted to cooperate with notches 2'I and 28 cut in members I5 and I5 to support frame I4 in a desired position.

Near the front end, frame I3 has depending therefrom two short legs 29, one of said legs being pivotally attached to side member I5 and the other to member I6 in any suitable Way. Note y that these legs will be stopped in extended posiand I6 at points 3|, the hinge being of any con-Y ventional type. In order to support the'hinged joint at 3|, a plate 32 is xed to the upper face of member I5 on one side of point 3|. Hinged extension 33 of plate 32 lies on the upper face of member I5 on the other side otpoint 3|.

Said

hinged extension 33 has provided therein a set screw 34 adapted to seat in one of the apertures at 35, thus securing extension 33 to the frame I5 Vand so holding the iront portions of side members I5 and I6 in position. The apertures 35 are so positionedas to permit support of the component parts of the frame member I5 either in a straight line or as shown' in Figure 2. Of course a structure identical .to that just described will be associated also with `member I6 at its hinged joint 3|. Y Y

For cooperation with the foldingchair a supporting structure IB and a cover are provided. Supporting structure I0 consists of ybows 35, 31 and 38 cooperating with back frame I4V of the chair. 'Of these, bow 35 is pivotally attached to the `inside of frame lI4 on pins 39 and is adapted to lie just inside the portions of the frame defined bymembers 2| and 22 and bar 23'whi1e bows 31 and 33 are Vmounted adjacent their ends for piv- Votal movement about bar I9. Bow 31 is slightly smaller in width than bow 35 while bow 38 is yof still lesser width so that all may be folded into the plane of yback frame I4. It will be noted that bows 31 and 38 are mounted intermediate frames I3 and I4 in such a way that the smallest bow 38 will just exceed in width and length that portion of frame I3 extending toward the front of the chair from bar I9. Thus, all of the bows are adapted to lie in the plane ofrframe I4 when the chair is in extended position, while, when the chair is folded, frames I3 and I4 and all of the bows `will lie in the saine plane. So that the bows may be easily moved each is provided with a thickened 4hub to conne the friction areas (see in particular Figure 1.)

For protecting the occupant of the chair, cover is provided, this cover being attached in any known manner to frame I4 and to each of the bows. Cover II. as illustrated, consists of mosquito netting but it will be recognized that the sup-porting arrangement shown is equally adaptable Yfor opaque and/or water-proof coverings depending upon the particular natural condition from which it is desired to protect the user of the chair. When light materials are employed, a tape or cord. 5U may be attached to the bows to holdk them in extended position so as to avoid imparting undesirable stresses to the cover. Inaisrnuch as cover II is attached to back frame I4 and extends to and is attached around bow 38, which is adapted to closely surround frame I 3, it will be seen that a close nti-ing insect-proof cover is rendered available.V In folded position, cover I I can be accommodated between the Various bows because of the thickening at their respective hubs.

A support 4B is mounted centrally on bar 23 and depends downwardly for a distance a little in excess of the cumulative thickness of all of the bows when they are in the plane of frame I4. This support is rigid and will keep the bows from falling against body support In the event the bows are folded when frame I4 is in a very nearly vertical position, a strap, not shown, may be passed around the frame and bows to hold them in the same plane. v

Since bow 38 is larger than the portion of frame I3 which it surrounds when in extended position, supports or plates Il are provided, these supports extending outwardly` from beneath side 4| are advantageous in that they prevent over- Y stretching of the covering material at all times, but they are of primary importance because they eiect an insect proof seal between frame I3 and Y bow 35. So that a close arrangement between bow 38 and frame I3 will be possible at all times regard-less of the adjustment angle at hinge 3|, bow 38 has the forward portion thereof hinged at 42, hinges 42 and 3! being equi-distant from the pivot at bar IS. Any type of hinge may be used, Vbut it is desirable thatr a hinge which locks when the hinged members lie in the same plane be employed. Such a hinge is shown in Patent 1,819,490 issued to Max Weiss. For holding bow 38 closely against supports 4|, latches 43 are pivotally attached to the top of frame members I5 and I3 so that they may be movedrto overlie an edge of the bow. When not in use, latches 43 are swung parallel to the longitudinal axis of members I5 and I5 and in such position they will not interfere with the folding of the device.

Sunshade assembly I2 is also constructed to fold into the plane of frame I4 and consequently into the plane of the entire chair when frames I3 and I4 are folded upon one another. The sunshade assembly includes a bow consisting of cylindrical members 44 mounted in bearings 45 which are located on the underside of members 2| and 22 so as to avoid interference with the cover supporting bows when they are in the plane of the back frame I 4. A U-member 4S is mounted with its Shanks telescopically received in the cylindrical members 44. The transverse bar of the U-member 45 is oval in cross-section and has thereover a sleeve 41 provided with an oval opening. By this arrangement sleeve 41 is slidable but not rotatable with respect to the transverse bar of U-member 46. Two yokes 4B are attached to a sunshade frame 49, the Shanks of the yokes overlying sleeve 41 and having bolts 5I thereon,V so that the yckes may frictionally engage sleeve 41 to the correct degree to'perrnit Vfrictionally holding frame 49 in various radial positions with regard to said sleeve, Frame 49 has segments of its side bars hinged at 52 so that it may be folded against the'transverse bar of U-'member 45, while the ends of the frame are frictionally or snap-hinged at 53 for movement into positions such as that illustrated in broken lines in Figure 4. Set screws 54 hold U-member 45 in adjusted position with respect to the axis at 45. A suitable opaque fabric covers-frame 49.

The chair is extended by moving legs 23 into position and by raising frame I4, thus moving it about its axis at I9. Frame 24 is positioned so that bar 26 will rest in one of the sets of notches in frame members I5 and 'I6 to support frame I4. The knee bend at hinge 3| is effected by bending members I5 and I6 while placing set screws 34 in suitable apertures 35 to lock the hinges in position. Since sunshade assembly I2 and cover support Ill are adapted to lie in 4the plane of frame I4, it is quite possible to use the chair in the manner of any conventional folding seat. It will be understood that when the sunshade lies in t-he plane of frame I4, the U-member 46 thereof will rest in the notch in the lower end of support 40,. If it is desired to use the sunshade while the netting is folded and the components of netting support I lie in the plane of frame I4, screws 54 may be loosened to permit retraction of U-member 46 to pass under the folded netting. Thereafter, U-member 46 is extended to the position desired and screws 54 are tightened, Once U-member 46 is adjusted the frame 49 may be opened by straightening the hinges 52. Thereafter, the positioning of the sunshade is effected by sliding sleeve 41 across the transverse bar of U-member 46, moving it about sleeve 41 as an axis, and adjusting the snap or friction hinges. This adjustment may be effected independently of the use of the cover and may be accomplished by a person sitting in the chair by merely reaching up over his head. Inasmuch as netting I I is translucent it is apparent that the sunshade construction may be used to shade the chair occupants eyes when the cover is in operative position extended as shown in either Figs. 2 or 3.

To bring the protecting covering into play, it is only necessary to pull bow 38 down to a position where it rests on supports 4I, This will cause the remaining bows to be pulled into position, since the material is connected to each bow; and, in the event strap or band 50 is employed, it will likewise serve to position bows 36 and 31. The supporting bows will fall into place regardless of whether the chair is adjusted to sitting position, as shown in Figure 2, or in reclining position, as shown in Figure 3, bow 38 serving to pull bow 31 past vertical position at which time the latter will fall forward as far as the cover material or strap 50, or both, will permit.

It will be recognized that any number of adjustinents involving positions of the bar 26 may be effected by simply adding additional notches 28. Additional notches 28 will necessarily provide for the defining of different angles between back member I4 and seat member I3. This may require the employment of additional bows to properly support the mosquito netting or other canopy material.

While the bar I9 has been described as consisting of a single piece, it will be quite apparent that, if a conventional chair is adapted to conform to the present invention, pins may be attached to the transverse frame bar in order to support the bows, Similarly, it is contemplated that a separate connection may be effected with regard to respective members I5 and 2I and I6 and 22, eliminating the necessity for a bar similar to bar I9 which extends entirely across the chair.

Of course, this invention contemplates the eX- tension of the lower ends of back `frame I4 to rest on the ground as a support, including the necessary adjustments of the knee bend when this construction is employed. It is also contemplated that the back frame may be pivoted inside the seat frame, in which case the back frame will be the smaller and the bows when folded will lie outside of the same, the outermost bow when extended engaging a plate such as plate 4I extending inwardly of the seat frame. In this type of chair, collapsible arm rests may be attached to the side members of the back frame.

While the preferred form of the invention discussed above contemplates a particular type of folding chair, it will be recognized that the invention has wide applicability as to all types of folding chairs and it is contemplated that many modifications with regard to the construction of the device may be made within the scope of what is claimed and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a combination folding chair and folding canopy carried thereby including, seat and back rest defining frames, body supporting means held thereby, said frames being pivotally connected for relative movement to and from a position substantially in a straight line and an langular body supporting position, and a protective canopy, means attached at the point of pivotal connection of said frames for supporting the canopy in covering position with respect to the body Zone dened by the frames to completely surround an occupant thereof, said means being foldable with said frames into an area not greater than the area of one of them.

2. In a combination folding chair and folding canopy carried thereby including, seat and back rest defining frames, body supporting means held thereby, means connecting said frames for relative movement to and from a nested position substantially in a straight line and an angular body supporting position, and a protective canopy, canopy supporting bows pivotally attached to the means connecting the frames and adapted to nest therebetween, said canopy extending from one of said frames to the bow nearest the other frame and to the point of pivot, the bow nearest the other frame being adapted to closely engage the same, whereby to provide an insect proof protective canopy entirely covering the occupant of the chair, which canopy is foldable with the chair into an area not in excess of that of the larger frame thereof.

3. In a combination folding chair and folding canopy carried thereby including, seat and back rest defining frames, body supporting means held thereby, means connecting said frames for relative movement to and from a nested position substantially in a straight line and an angular body supporting poistion, and a protective canopy, canopy supporting bows pivotally attached to the means connecting the frames and adapted to nest therebetween, said canopy extending from one of said frames to the bow nearest the other frame and to thepoint of pivot, said last-named bow closely surrounding said other frame, and means on that frame to support the bow, whereby to provide a protective canopy adapted to entirely cover the occupant of a chair when the latter is in body supporting poistion, which canopy is foldable to nest with the chair in an area not in excess of that of the larger frame thereof.

4. In a combination folding chair and folding canopy carried thereby including, a seat rest frame and a similar back rest frame, body supporting means held thereby, means connecting said frames for relative pivotal movement to and from a nested position substantially in astraight line and an angular body supporting position and a protective canopy, bows adapted for supporting said canopy, said bows being attached adjacent their ends to said means at points between said frames for pivotal movement about said means, said bows conforming generally to the configuration of said frames but being successively smaller to permit nesting therebetween, said canopy extending from the larger frame to the narrowest bow and to the point of pivot, said narrowest bow being adapted to tightly surround the smalle-r of the frames, said canopy extending from the larger of said frames to the smallest bow and to the connecting means', means on said smaller frame for supporting a bow, and means on said smaller frame for latching Vsaid smallest bow in surrounding position, whereby to provide a canopy support which may be extended to hold a canopy in covering positionwith respect 'to th occupant of the folding chair.

5. In a combination folding chair and folding canopy carried thereby including, a back frame, a similar seat frame, said back frame being wider than said seat frame, a bar connecting said frames for pivotal movement to and from a nested position substantially in a straight line and an angular body supporting position, body supporting means attached to and extending beround the seat frame, said seat frame consisting of two parts hinged together, means for locking the hinged parts of said seat frame in various angular positions, means constituting pivot points in said smallest bow, said pivot points being adapted to register with the respective hinges on the seat frame to permit the bow to surround the frame regardless of the angular position of the parts of the latter, and means associated with the parts of the seat frame for supporting a bow, said canopy extending from said back frame to said narrowest bow and to the bar and adapted to be held in covering position with respect to an occupant of the chair when the bows are extended.

6. In a combination folding chair and folding canopy carried thereby including a supporting material attached to, a back frame and a seat frame pivotally connected for' relative movement to and from a position substantially in a straight line and an angular body supporting position, anda protective canopy, means attached at the point of pivotal connection of said frames for supporting the canopy in extended position to completely cover an occupant of the chair, said means being foldable into-the plane of the back frame and with that frame into the plane of the seat frame, a bow pivotally attached to the baci: frame and a collapsible sunshade mounted on said bow, said bow and sunshadealso being movable into the plane of the back frame and with that frame into the plane of the seat frame.

7. In a combination folding chair and Vfolding canopy carried Vthereby including, a back frame, a seat frame, body supporting means attached thereto and extending therebetween, means connecting said frames for relative pivotal movement .to and from a single Vplane and van angular body supporting position, and a protective covering of insect-proof material, body supporting fabric connected to said frame at their sidesV and ends, covering supporting bows mounted on said means for pivotalmovement between jsaid frames, said bows being graduated in size to permit nesting between the two frames, an auxiliary bow pivotally connected to said back frame and adapted to nest with the other bows, said canopy extending between and being attached to all of said bows and said back frame for support thereby, the narrowest of the bows being adapted to closely engage said seat frame, said s'eat frame consisting of two sections hinged together at a suitable point to permit a knee-bend angular adjustment, means for maintaining such an adjustment, and a riml support extending from said seat frame to hold said narrowest bow, means defining pivot points in said narrowest bow, said pivot points being `adapted to register with the hinges Vof the seat frame, a special bow pivotally attached to said back frame and foldable to lie in the plane thereof, and a collapsible adjustable shade mounted on this bow, lthe' whole construction constituting a foldable chair equipped with a canopy and sunshade combined in such a manner as to permit use of the chair with or without employing the canopy or sunshade while the entire construction may be folded to lie in a single plane.

' KARL SINGEWALD. 

